New Song: R. Kelly, ‘Share My Love’

It’s gonna be a very disco Valentine’s Day for R. Kelly and all his freaky followers. Due for digital release on Feb. 14, “Share My Love” sounds like it’s beamed in straight from the speakers of Studio 54, sometime around 1977. Crooning over shiny disco strings and a sweetly mellowed-out beat, the King of R&B keeps it smooth as silk — or at least polyester, preferably in electric purple.

Romantic as ever, Kels slips more than a few priceless come-ons into the lyrics for “Share My Love” (the first single from his forthcoming album, Write Me Back). Of course, when he announces he’s about to “tell you all of the things I wanna do to you” in the first verse, your instinct is probably to cover your ears and start shouting “LA LA LA!” to drown him out. But that’s nothing compared to the real prize-taker at the bridge: “Now that we’re in this room/Let’s do what we’re born to do/POPULATE! POPULATE!” It’s classic Kels — fantastic and terrifying at the very same time.

BTW, I just pictured R. Kelly in a butterfly-collared button-down and suede bell-bottoms, and it was kind of amazing. Let’s all break out our halter-neck catsuits and do The Hustle.